27 replies to this topic

[Faenwulf]

I recently picked up MWO again after I stopped playing sometime around the end of closed beta. Now I really feel like I am out of touch with the current game situation and all I noticed was: Hell, the way MWO is played changed a lot!
Right now I'm sitting on my Founders Hunchie and a Hunchback 4SP.After several tries of getting into the game with them I noticed that I just can't. For some reason I'm not really suited to them anymore with how I used to play them.
So, now I'm looking for a new chassis. What I was used to playing was the Hunchback, the Jenner and the Centurion. When I stopped playing I think the following Mechs were already in: Jenner, Raven, Commando, Spider, Hunchback, Centurion, Cicada, Cataphract, Dragon ,Catapult, Awesome and Atlas. (Although the CFT, SDR and RVN were new, so I never really played them or saw them played much.)
And now there are all the new Mechs I never played with their weapons configurations and it's kind of making me dizzy.
Hopefully you guys can help me out with that. What I noticed while playing with my HBK-4SP are two things: First, I kind of mostly hang around and do nothing - because with 4 Med lasers and 2 SRM6s I can't do much most of the game since my weapons don't really reach (big scale close up brawling is kind of dead I guess). And I can't strafe to deal damage because the HBK is just too slow for that. Secondly, at the same time I feel like I'm not doing much damage with my weapons while not really being able to soak damage either.
Or, what is worse, I manage to always be were I'm not supposed to be: Either the enemy is on a completely different part of the map or I run straight into them with a teammate or two. Either case, I'm too slow to do much about it.
So, in a point: I feel rather useless.

I'm a guy who prefers to get up close and personal and deal out damage with some loud noise (ACs and SRMs). But at the same time, I don't want to be falling apart after three hits or be slow as hell. Also, being able to deploy a wide variety of weapons for different ranges would be good.
Yeah, you guys could see where this is going: I want everything.
But maybe there is a good chassis that fits my needs? I think I'd prefer a medium or heavy chassis, although I would not mind a light mech who can dish out some damage and get a few kills here and there either. But assaults aren't my thing. Too slow and tumbly.

[AlmightyAeng]

Give the Jagermech JMS-A a try...you can kit it out with any weapons system. Long range, short range. Fast, slow...the hardpoints are such that you can pick and play around.

[AdultPuppetShow]

For mediums I think a Shadow Hawk, Wolverine, or Griffin (not so much the Griffin) would suit your purposes just right. The Firestarter seems to be pretty tanky for a light, but you might want to wait until the C-bill variants come out. As for heavy's the Cataphract and Orion are not quite as fast as I would like but they are definitely comparable to the Hunchback in terms of speed while bringing more armor and guns to the fight.

I myself just picked up a Shadow Hawk 2D2, slapped in the largest XL engine, and now I'm having a blast with streaks and medium lasers.

Edited by AdultPuppetShow, 06 February 2014 - 01:52 PM.

[cSand]

You like to get up close and personal eh...

Orion is one of my favourites for brawling. Also, the Protector is 50% off today

[Faenwulf]

AdultPuppetShow, on 06 February 2014 - 01:41 PM, said:

For mediums I think a Shadow Hawk, Wolverine, or Griffin would suit your purposes just right.

I'm probably just blind (maybe I suck so much because of that? ) but I can't find either the Wolverine nore the Griffin in the Mechlab.Do I need to perform some kind of sacred Money-Dance to get a look at those?

But I'll have a look at the others and see what they are about.

[CygnusX7]

I'm thinking you'll like a shadowhawk.
2D2 is a good one to start with.

[Linkin]

Faenwulf, on 06 February 2014 - 01:54 PM, said:

I'm probably just blind (maybe I suck so much because of that? ) but I can't find either the Wolverine nore the Griffin in the Mechlab.Do I need to perform some kind of sacred Money-Dance to get a look at those?

But I'll have a look at the others and see what they are about.

They are only in game via the phoenix saber pre-order, they'll be released for c-bills later, I forget the date. I'd like to give the griffin a shot when they release for the non-pre orders.

That said, that Shadowhawk, as the others have said, would probably fit your needs. I run the 2H with 2 ac 10s and a large pulse currently, but I've run it as alot of different configs, so there is felxibility. One of my favorites was an LB, SRMS and a laser in the arm. It has good maneuverability and speed even when kited with a decent amount of firepower as well.

For Heavies, I really like the phracts. The 3D is kinda fun with the JJs. Haven't played mine as much, other than my 3 LB muromets, so I can't comment on build variety on the phracts.

[Diablo Intercepter]

I think you should try out the Black Jack 1 or the 1DC. Both have a good mix of energy and ballistics, and if you're creative with your builds can be some of hardest hitting mediums. The most popular build is an ac 20 and 3 mediums (thanks Phil) which is as fun as it sounds. I also use the 2d2, but I avoid streaks because of them hitting random parts. I use 1 srm 2 2 srm 4s and a srm 6 instead of the streaks because I have an allergic reaction to using lrms (most of the time). If you want speed use a larger engine, but I have found that a shadowhawk going 90 kph and with jump jets is enough to out maneuver anything heavier than 35 tons. I use a xl 280 (speed tweak) and either a ac 10 or LBX, it's a exploding shotgun, which is the best kind of shot gun Sand is on point with the Orion, the K model is a mini atlas, just minus 1 srm 6. A cataphract with an xl is surprisingly tough to kill, with the side torsos being the shape they are you're going to die because someone blew out your CT. As long as your cataphract can kill in less than 4 seconds you have nothing to worry about (not sharing a build for these, super secret ;D). I think you should look at the Victor as well, the 9B & 9S are atlas that can fly. I recommend putting an xl 370 (or higher) in them, you'll be going 75 kph with a very deadly load out. Maybe give the cicada a glance as well, its a big jenner (I only pilot mediums or heavier). I hope this helps you get back in the game =)

[bar10jim]

1) The Wolverine and Griffin have not been released for c-bill purchase yet, they were a reinforcement pack for the Phoenix Pack.
2) Strongly agree with the Shadowhawk. You can load ballistic, energy or missile load outs across the chassis line. And the arms to a good job of protecting the torso.

I run my 2H with streaks (or srms as the mood stikes me) and an LB10x as a mid-speed brawler (stick and move).
My 2D2 runs with streaks, med lasers, and mgs and a large engine as a light killer/light escort/deep striker.
Rounding out the family, my 5M runs with 2 x AC5s as a support/fire suppression platform.

Did I mention they can all have jump jets? Anything you need from quick-striker to a zombie mech to a pop-tart.

[Faenwulf]

Thanks for the Informations and the tipps, guys. Too bad the griffin isn't avaiable yet. Although it has some strange picks for the variants It kind of stikcs with me by the looks and data avaiable.
As things stand I'll probably go with a Shadow Hawk for now. Seems really versatile and I'd prefer a medium over a heavy.

But still open for more tipps.

[Turist0AT]

kintaro(5xSrm6 or 5xStreaks) or Orion (AC20+SRM6s) plus backup lasers on both. Orion is durable and very deadly. But why not Victor or highlander? Some variants can pack AC-20 and SRMs combo. Plus backup lasers as always.

Did somone say Shawk?

Edited by Turist0AT, 06 February 2014 - 03:07 PM.

[Faenwulf]

Turist0AT, on 06 February 2014 - 03:05 PM, said:

But why not Victor or highlander?

I prefer my Mechs to be a bit smaller and less of an obvious target...

But thanks for the Build-Link. Interesting to see what you can fit into the 2D2.

[quackychief]

the shawdow hawk would be by far the best mech to get back into the game with. versatile mech with plenty of different combos

[Victor Morson]

CygnusX7, on 06 February 2014 - 01:58 PM, said:

I'm thinking you'll like a shadowhawk.
2D2 is a good one to start with.

Seconding the Shadow Hawk. 2D2 and 5M are both popular choices; I like the 2D2 myself. 5J is hardly bad, though. All of them can run AC20 + ER PPC, but the 2D2 can run solid light killer designs and even do LRM skirmishing, while the 5M can run top meta setups like 2 AC/5 + 1 PPC. (5J can as well.)

There's a bunch more setups but long story short - it's a great medium which sounds like your preferred style. Check it out.

[luxebo]

Since you already have the Hunchback, I would suggest you master that first then get through the Shadow Hawk, which is great but you should learn through the Hunchie's user-friendliness (nobody is gonna scream at you if you screw up, and it's generally easier to pilot since you have the Hunchback founder and 4SP.) Victor and some of the others will suggest Shadow Hawk (I would suggest that straight after your Hunchies), but I suggest going through the Hunchback first especially with the Founder Hunchie. Your Founder could be your ballistic grinder, with 4SP being a brawler, and 4P being a sniper/light hunter (people say that 4xer large lasers are good, though I dunno.) Don't know what engine you have, but put almost max (at least 260 rating) engine on it and then you should be decent to master the Hunchback first before the Shadow Hawk.

Also, what other mechs have you played before quiting for a short while? The UI changed recently, so no worries if you get lost in any way, as likely most of us are confused as well. If you feel rather useless, you may want to put in longer ranged weaponary, as this can help. Another thing is that you want to support many of the heavier mechs, this would give you a good way to excel in combat. Never lead a charge and always torso twist. You would be able to do better with certain STD engines that can make you more maneuverable. Hope I helped, and wish you good luck in the battlefield.

[Mathium]

You may also want to look for another build for your hunchbacks. It's possible just a simple weapon change and engine upgrade could breath new life into them. Here's the link to the Hunchie page on Mechspecs for a few build suggestions.

http://www.mechspecs....php?board=21.0

[Mazzyplz]

use the kintaro, it will be similar to your hunchback with some more variety, orion is also good but my assault just steps on it, don't think it is as durable as the hunchback. kintaro is close - if you want durability and speed but you don't mind having pea shooters you might also want to look at the quickdraw even though a quickdraw often just shoots laughable medium lasers theyre pretty tough to kill or at least were back when the quickdraws were flavor of the month - i have seen them do well run around at high speed with their tough shields, and shoot green lasers for the longest time to kill mechs, it's funny. they are a heavy mech acting as scouts

but the kintaro should be what you want, play with kintaro and hunchback or even centurion -to get a good sense of the brawly meds, they can be tricky to setup though

hunchback is very good though, it is very durable and it has ballistics... if you decide to go for centurion it will be even more durable but you will be bigger target, so pick your poison

Edited by Mazzyplz, 06 February 2014 - 11:57 PM.

[Faenwulf]

I just compared and interesting enough the HBK has a lower overall armor Rating than the Kintaro or the Shadowhawk. That kind of gives me new insights into why the hell I am losing all the time against Shadowhawks...
Still had it in my Head that the Hunchback is the most durable of the mediums, especially with its standardspeed being relatively low for a medium.

Right now I'm considering Kintaro or Shadowhawk. Shadowhawk is the more versatile weapons plattform I guess, but I kind of like the look of the Kintaro more. Altough it has no DAKKA. Oh well, I'll see.

Thank you all so far!

[Redshift2k5]

Shadowhawks are pretty solid, but if you really want to bring some big guns you may ant to look at Cataphact, Jagermech, or Victor/Highlander, depending on your budget. you can coax all of them into the 70s or 80s for speed with a large engine while also carryig way more armor and guns than a Hunchback.

Keep in mind you need to invest in THREE of each chassis in order to complete the skill tree and really maximize your mech. You get double all the basic skils when you complete the Elite tier, and you need to complete the Baiscs three times to reach Elite.

While you're at it, grab the free premium timein my sig (if the code still works)

Edited by Redshift2k5, 07 February 2014 - 10:31 AM.

[Clownwarlord]

Faenwulf, on 06 February 2014 - 01:30 PM, said:

I recently picked up MWO again after I stopped playing sometime around the end of closed beta. Now I really feel like I am out of touch with the current game situation and all I noticed was: Hell, the way MWO is played changed a lot!
Right now I'm sitting on my Founders Hunchie and a Hunchback 4SP.After several tries of getting into the game with them I noticed that I just can't. For some reason I'm not really suited to them anymore with how I used to play them.
So, now I'm looking for a new chassis. What I was used to playing was the Hunchback, the Jenner and the Centurion. When I stopped playing I think the following Mechs were already in: Jenner, Raven, Commando, Spider, Hunchback, Centurion, Cicada, Cataphract, Dragon ,Catapult, Awesome and Atlas. (Although the CFT, SDR and RVN were new, so I never really played them or saw them played much.)
And now there are all the new Mechs I never played with their weapons configurations and it's kind of making me dizzy.
Hopefully you guys can help me out with that. What I noticed while playing with my HBK-4SP are two things: First, I kind of mostly hang around and do nothing - because with 4 Med lasers and 2 SRM6s I can't do much most of the game since my weapons don't really reach (big scale close up brawling is kind of dead I guess). And I can't strafe to deal damage because the HBK is just too slow for that. Secondly, at the same time I feel like I'm not doing much damage with my weapons while not really being able to soak damage either.
Or, what is worse, I manage to always be were I'm not supposed to be: Either the enemy is on a completely different part of the map or I run straight into them with a teammate or two. Either case, I'm too slow to do much about it.
So, in a point: I feel rather useless.

I'm a guy who prefers to get up close and personal and deal out damage with some loud noise (ACs and SRMs). But at the same time, I don't want to be falling apart after three hits or be slow as hell. Also, being able to deploy a wide variety of weapons for different ranges would be good.
Yeah, you guys could see where this is going: I want everything.
But maybe there is a good chassis that fits my needs? I think I'd prefer a medium or heavy chassis, although I would not mind a light mech who can dish out some damage and get a few kills here and there either. But assaults aren't my thing. Too slow and tumbly.

I started playing when you stopped so hopefully I can help.

Some of the better mechs per weight class:
Light
- Spider
- Jenner

Medium
- Shadowhawk (or really any of the Phoenix mechs)
- BJ is pretty good or so is Cicada (3M has ECM)

Heavy
Just about any of these are good because you get a wide array of types speeds and builds. For your previous hunchy playing style might be the Quickdraw ( a little faster more armour and has energy to boot).
- Jagers and Cataphracts are sorta the meta due to their many ballistic slots

Assault
- Highlander
- Victor
Can anyone say JumpJets and Assaults five times really fast (because this is what you will see)